2017 Weekly - Week 43

23/10/2017

This is the first time in 10 years that I also have a "half-term" break. No evening class this week, oohoo! How funny it feels to be excited for a break after being a student again.

24/10/2017

Annie Lennox, the one and only Goddess in pop music. Simply sublime.

2017 Weekly - Week 42

19/10/2017

When I easily feel tired and for no reasons, I know it's the reduced daylight which starts to impact me. I've come to accept that side of me over the years. Shorter days and longer nights are not my friends but I will deal with it.

Just heard that our dear friend B just recovered from septicemia. This is potentially life threatening and I am so glad that our friend is now on the mend back home. Speedy recovery, B.

2017 Weekly - Week 41

10/10/2017

Happy birthday, Taiwan. Not recognized or admitted as an official entity by many but you are the only country that I know to exist and thrive despite all odds.

I love you, Taiwan.

13/10/2017

Another Friday the 13th.

One friend who dropped me a line today asked how I was. I explained to her what I have been doing in a few lines. Then, she sent me a "thumb up" and that's the end of it. C'mon. Please don't insult me with possibly the most meaningless sign in the world.

This is how my day was rescued. Got to chat with a long-time friend. Although she's the one who has worries, I am the one who is soothed. That's the magic of her. All the best, Y-W.

2017 Weekly - Week 40

01/10/2017

A new running record for me, 5000 meters for 41 minutes and 25 seconds. Most people can finish 5K under 40 minutes. Not me. I am not a runner but I enjoy running making my heart work harder. It's a race against myself, like many things in life.

03/10/2017

Tried a variation of Pad See Ew tonight. First time making Thai rice noodles dish, not bad at all. I soaked my dried rice noodles in freshly boiled water just under 1 minute before tossing them into a pan of cooked vegetables and omelette chunks. I served it with grilled salmon. Lime juice drizzle just before serving is highly recommended!

I will try Pad Kee Mao next (don't you just love the sound of the name?)

04/10/2017

Rediscovered black/purple rice this week. It has a nice texture (not as coarse as other wholegrain rice) and a unique fragrance. And the good thing is that it's very tolerant of the cooking as it doesn't get mushy. My preferred way of cooking is to 1) wash the rice in three changes of water, 2) bring 1 part of rice and 1.5 part of water to boil, 3) heat off and cover for 30 minutes, 4) heat on again for 10 minutes and 4) heat off and cover for another 10 minutes. Fluff and eat.

Next time I will try cooking for 20 minutes on low heat and heat off/cover for 10 minutes.

2017 Weekly - Week 39

24/09/2017

Had a very nice weekend in Amsterdam. This is probably my favorite capital city to visit. So much so that I wish I could retire there one day. The rich history and culture, the friendliest people on earth and very cosmopolitan in terms of society and cuisine, and it's just of the right size so that you don't feel like living in a jungle.

And I finally met a friend with whom the friendship started almost 8 years ago. She is as lovely off line as on line. A worldly person and a very good cook. Thanks for having me in your home, N.

I Heart Amsterdam.

2017 Weekly - Week 38

19/09/2017

It's as if I was living through scenes from The Emperor' New Clothes. Someone describing recent work progress comparing two techniques with r2 varying between 0.3 and 0.5. "It's looking good", said the presenter. And other people started to join, nodding or murmuring "it's looking really good" one after another.

I was stunned.

We were looking at two independent techniques which have good reproducibility in the measured values. And we are dealing with chemicals, not animals, weather objects or Donald Trump. There is no way an r2 of 0.3 can be of any good use for routine scientific studies.

I strongly objected during the meeting and someone else defended the r2 by saying it's better than before. Well, "better than before" is relative and "looking really good" is absolute. I don't claim to have excellent logics but it just beggars belief to see some senior scientists' logics.

2017 Weekly - Week 37

12/09/2017

Colder days and longer nights are upon us. Time for warm oatmeal! The smell of steaming oatmeal always brings me a sense of comfort and simple happiness. It reminds me of my college days when I had to catch early bus to the campus. My parents always got up early for me to prepare hot oatmeal with toasts before I set off. I am really lucky to have parents like them.

13/09/2017

I almost bought a book because of the name of the author. I am glad that I resisted. The more I read the excerpt, the more disheartened I am. For an event which was experienced by millions of people for a prolonged period of time, we all have forged our own reality and truth in our heads. There is nothing anyone can do about it. We are human beings with emotions tangled with reasons. I started to wonder the point of so-called memoir which wants to set the facts straight. Facts and truths only mean something to complete rationale beings, such as robots. I wish you find success somewhere else which also means something to you.

14/09/2017

My own Gamjatang (Korean potato and pork soup). A bowl of steaming soup may just be my ultimate comfort food. Growing up in a household where every meal finishes with a soup (except for breakfast), I know I miss home when I crave a bowl of warm soup. It doesn't have to be a soup I grew up with, almost any warm Asian soup will do. This is absolutely delicious with chubby medium-grain rice.